Winds Through the Olive Trees

Winds through the olive trees

Softly did blow
'Round little Bethlehem,
Long, long ago.
Sheep on the hillside lay
Whiter than snow,
Shepherds were watching them,
Long, long ago.

Then from the happy skies,
Angels bent low,
Singing their songs of joy;
Long, long ago,
For in a manger bed,
Cradled we know,
Christ came to Bethlehem,
Long, long ago.

(traditional tune; author unknown)



I learned that song as a child, in children's choir at the First Baptist Church of Landrum, SC.  You may have learned it as well, in your church. It's been playing on a continuous loop in my mind for the past few days. We have had a lot of cold, windy rain here in the Upstate recently. Perhaps that’s the reason I’m thinking about wind.

When we lived in the mountains of Western North Carolina, I once hung a Christmas wind sock on our front porch. That cute little windsock was blown away by the wind. I saw it down in the woods, out of reach. At least I know where it is!

We also had wind chimes hanging on our front porch. Both wind chimes blew down. One of them landed on the porch, so I was able to rescue it and bring it in. The other was nowhere to be found! It was often very windy in those mountains!

All this wind reminded me of the first time we traveled to Israel. By the time we got to Jerusalem, a snow storm was making its way across Europe, causing gusty winds to blow all across Israel. On the last day we were there, an awning blew off our hotel, and the revolving door at the front of the hotel had to be locked to keep it from constantly spinning!  

There were often breezes blowing through the olive trees when we visited Israel. And it is entirely possible, although we can't know with any certainty, that the sound of gentle breeezes blowing through the olive trees was heard on that night so long ago when our Lord was born in Bethlehem.

At His first advent, He came to us as a tiny baby. Perhaps with gentle breezes blowing. Surrounded by animals in a stable.

His second advent will be quite different. No longer a baby. No longer in a stable. And likely not accompanied by gentle breezes. More likely by the sound of a mighty wind!

Two thousand years have passed since that first advent in Bethlehem. We don't know how much time is left on the prophetic calendar before the second advent.

But we do know that there will be a second advent. Are you ready?

"Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True and in righteousness he judges and makes war.....and the name by which he is called is The Word of God....On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords." (Revelation 19:11, 13, 16 ESV)